I struggled to keep track of all the personnel and locations but, eventually, I just accepted this and let the whole experience wash over me. The Germans were determined to defend and counter-attack and death could be one bullet or AP round away. This grossly oversimplified understanding has created many complexities in our lives and taken away from us the very fundamentals of the joy of living. During this point, they suffered their first real setbacks, being forced to retreat from Gheel after the rough conditions and stiff German defence. Following the Sherwood Rangers' brutal journey over the dramatic eleven months between D-Day and VE-Day, weaving their exploits into the larger narrative and strategy of the war, Holland argues that the U.

They had learned their trade the hard way, under the burning sun of North Africa, on the battlefields of El Alamein and Alam el Halfa. What helped sustain them was the astonishing collective spirit, camaraderie and bravery they demonstrated from that first day on the Normandy beaches to the very end in northern Germany. Prewar, the Sherwood Rangers had been a Territorial Army unit of part-time “Saturday Night Soldiers,” the British equivalent of the National Guard. They had begun the war as weekend part-time soldiers, then had been sent overseas on their horses, had performed cavalry charges with sabres drawn, had been converted to artillery, had survived the Siege of Tobruk, had been mechanized and had turned themselves into one of the finest armoured regiments in the British Army. Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive.

With his remarkable keen insights that provide riveting descriptions, the author transports the reader, day by day, hour by hour, to Victory in Europe (V-E Day). I must declare an interest as a devoted listener to James's podcast (with Al Murray), WHWOMYT, and have followed with great interest the development of this book and discussions about the movements of individual tanks in aerial photos on D-Day.

although I enjoyed this for the most part I felt some details of the many figures in the regiment could have been spared, or possible have had a more focused look on just a few of the soldiers to limit confusion on the endless amounts of stories taking place. James Holland accomplishes a major victory, a rarity, in bringing back to life unnerving tank battles .Eliminate negativity and change your life with best-selling author, happiness expert and life co Throughout the campaign the SRY suffered horrendous casualties with replacement soldiers, many in their early 20's taking the place of the dead and wounded as they fought their way from the Normandy beaches through France, Belgium and Holland across the river Rhine and into Germany. Edgar Hoover saw cracking these cases as a means of burnishing the reputation of the newly professionalized FBI. The SRY being on the offensive most of the time meant the Germans had the advantage firing the first shot, which, whether from an anti-tank Gun, German tank, or from a Panzerfaust held by an infantryman was often fatal to the SRY tank if not always the crew as well. Its of course a rollercoaster story, a story that will probably remain with you for a while as you reflect on the sacrifices these men made and the hardships they entailed.

The text is best suited for military buffs, as Holland delivers an intense, 400-page description of the regiment’s nearly yearlong battle across France, Belgium, and Germany. He follows a group of characters including the Rangers’ commanding officer, Stanley Christopherson; their chaplain, Leslie Skinner; and troopers and lieutenants such as Wharton. as well the bombing of German cities towards the end of the war which resulted in towns like Cleve having 75% of their town destroyed. Landing in France on D-Day, the Sherwood Rangers fought their way through France, Belgium, Holland, and into Germany in their Sherman tanks. Winning acclaim in the North African campaign, the Rangers then spearheaded one of the D-Day landings in Normandy on June 6, 1944, led the way across France, were the first British troops to cross into Germany, and contributed mightily to Germany’s surrender in May 1945.Yet Shermans remained underarmoured – and were deeply uncomfortable places to be, the hatches barely big enough to offer an escape route, and the concoction of fumes, dust and grit as noxious as when they first appeared on the battlefield in North Africa. In the annals of World War II, certain groups of soldiers stand out, and among the most notable were the Sherwood Rangers. When I picked up the book in the library I was thrilled to see pages and pages of maps near the front of the book.

follows Special Agent Tom White and his assistants as they track the killers of one extended Osage family through a closed local culture of greed, bigotry, and lies in pursuit of protection for the survivors and justice for the dead. Holland often talks extensively and passionately about the SRY in his podcast ,(WeHaveWaysOfMakingYouTalk) and has written/edited An Englishman At Ear by Major Stanley Christopherson who is CO the SRY and features heavy in Brothers In Arms.The friendships and comraderie developed under dangerous and trying circumstances lasted a lifetime, at least for those who survived.